Oral administration of chicken egg yolk immunoglobulin (IgY) has attracted considerable attention as a
means of controlling infectious diseases of bacterial and viral origin. Oral administration of IgY possesses
many advantages compared with mammalian IgG including cost-effectiveness, convenience and high yield.
This review presents an overview of the potential to use IgY immunotherapy for the prevention and treatment
of terrestrial and aquatic animal diseases and speculates on the future of IgY technology. Included are a review
of the potential application of IgY for the treatment of livestock diseases such as mastitis and diarrhea, poultry
diseases such as Salmonella, Campylobacteriosis, infectious bursal disease and Newcastle disease, as well as
aquatic diseases like shrimp white spot syndrome virus, Yersina ruckeri and Edwardsiella tarda. Some potential
obstacles to the adoption of IgY technology are also discussed.